RWIP Background
After consulting with its constituent groups, the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba developed and implemented the Research and Workplace Innovation Program (RWIP) in 2009.
Each year, RWIP makes available $600,000 to fund high-quality scientific research and programs that develop, implement or evaluate innovative, practical, shop-floor solutions for improving workplace health and safety.
The RWIP accepts applications for funding each year from the end of August until the end of October. Click here for application forms and for more information about RWIP.
RWIP Projects
The projects listed below were all developed with financial support from the Workers Compensation Board:
MANITOBA AGING WORKFORCE HEALTH AND SAFETY INITIATIVE (MAWSHI)
Manitoba Building Trades
WORKPLACE, SUPERVISOR, WORKER AND ACCOMMODATION FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH WORKER’S COMPENSATION OUTCOMES: AN ECOLOGIC STUDY
Lakehead University
HEALTHY NAIL SALON WORKER PROJECT
MFL Occupational Health Centre
PREDICTORS OF PROLONGED RECOVERY FOLLOWING ACCEPTANCE FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES
McMaster University
VIRTUAL REALITY TO BRING SAFETY AWARENESS ON THE SAFE USE OF CHAINSAWS
Manitoba Construction Sector Council Inc.
NONVIOLENT CRISIS INTERVENTION
Eden Mental Health Centre
FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SYSTEM: A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO IDENTIFY MOVEMENT DYSFUNCTION
Private Consultant
WORKPLACE DIESEL EXHAUST EXPOSURE: DEFINING A BIOSIGNATURE TO SUPPORT PREVENTION
University of British Columbia and University of Manitoba
Mental Health Outcomes Following Workplace Injury
University of Manitoba
Online and Classroom Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Mindfulness Course for Building Workplace Resilience
University of Manitoba and University of Regina
Mindfulness-based Intervention as a key component of successful workplace functioning and personal well-being for frequently absent employees
St. Boniface Hospital, University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg
Electrical Safety for the Electrical Worker
Electrical Association of Manitoba (EAM)
Respirable Crystalline Silica in the Manitoba Construction Sector: Advancing Knowledge to Reduce Exposure
University of British Columbia
Providing Tools to Benchmark Disability Management and Return to Work Performance in the Construction Industry
University of Manitoba
Effective Use of the Hierarchy of Controls for Machine Safeguarding
Workplace Engineering Solutions
North Forge Technology Exchange and Bit Space Development VR Safety Orientation Experience
North Forge Technology Exchange
Determining the influence of the Workers' Compensation Board of Manitoba's opioid policy had on prescription opioid use amongst WCB recipients
University of Manitoba
Intervening in the Transportation Sector to Reduce Driver Fatigue, Low Back Pain, Discomfort and Increase Vehicle Safety
University of Waterloo
Development of a Pre-Production MSI Checklist: Reliability, Validity and Education
A. Dolhy Ergonomics Inc.
Development of Benchmarking Reports and a Dashboard to Change the Conversation in Construction (Special Funding)
Institute for Work & Health
Into Action: Psychological Safety Training for Managers - Engaging Managers in Workplace Psychological Safety
CBI Health Centre
Development of a Comprehensive Toolkit for Evaluating Workplace Musculoskeletal Injury Interventions: Swine Injection Technologies as a Test Case
University of Saskatchewan
Supervisor and Worker Perspectives on Workplace Accommodations for Mental Health
Lakehead University
Using Technology to Improve Safety Practices for High Risk Hazards in Construction
Manitoba Homebuilders Association
Engaging an Organization in the Prevention of Work Related Injuries
St. Boniface Hospital
Visual Display - Cause of Injuries
Body Map Diagram with Colour Codes
Final Report Engaging an Organization
Manual - Implementation of an Injury Prevention Program
Employee Injuries Prevention - Conversations
Employee Injuries Prevention - Use of Visual Display
A Knowledge Translation Intervention with Supervisors
University of Manitoba and St. Amant Research
Identification and Analysis of Safety Hazards on the Virtual Construction Worksite
Chris Taran, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2085
Exploring the New Standard: Psychological Safety in the Workplace Using Joint Workplace Health and Safety Committees, Risk/Hazard Identification, Reducing the Hazard, Education and Evaluation
Maureen Grace, Hamilton Grace and Associates
Standardized & Integrated Safety Training for Manitoba's Skilled Trades
Sudhir Sandhu, Manitoba Building and Construction Trades Council and Allied Hydro Council of Manitoba and Paul Holden, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology
Worksafely Online Program
Don Hurst and Jackie Jones, Mantioba Heavy Construction Association
Human Factor Focused Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Training for Construction Workers
Marnie Courage, Enabling Access Inc.
Safety Knowledge Sharing Before Retirement: An Examination of Retiring Employees' Attitudes, Intentions and Behaviours
Nick Turner, Krista Uggerslev and Kasey Martin, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba
Work Disability Duration: A Comparative Analysis of Three Canadian Provinces
First Language Health & Safety Training for Newcomers
Evaluating the Accessibility of the Manitoban Construction Industry to Physically Disabled Construction Workers and its Relation to Safety Performance
Glenlea Farm Safety Project
Trade Specific Airborne Hazard / Respirator Training Final Report
Red River College Occupational Health and Safety Certificate Program Final Report
Safety Knowledge Sharing in the Culinary Trades
Young Worker Responses to Workplace Hazards, Responsibility for Safety, and Workplace Injuries across Time
Engaging Front Line Managers and Supervisors to Promote Mental Health and Psychological Safety in the Workplace
The Role of Health-care Providers in the Workers’ Compensation System and Return-to-work Process
Synthesizing Occupational Health and Safety Knowledge for Local Stakeholders
Stephen Bornstein, SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health & Safety Research
Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
Memorial University 2013
Knowledge Transfer and Exchange
View report - Managing Depression in the Workplace
The Economic Costs of Workplace Injuries to Manitoba Workers and Their Careers
Greg Mason, PRA Inc. 2012
Employment and Knee Replacement Surgery
Martin Petrak, Orthopaedic Innovation Centre
With improvements in the design of total knee replacement (TKR), knee surgery has expanded to include younger, more active patients for whom return to work is an important surgical outcome. This study investigated the effect of TKR on an individual’s ability to return to work and factors that may affect return to work.
Interactive Safety E-Book: Taking It Direct to the Learner
Robin Millar, Centre for Education and Work
Centre for Education and Work (CEW) developed an e-book to enable businesses to deliver safety and health training to their workers in small groups throughout a business. The e-book has been customized to the iPad Textbook which has capability features to embed video, interactive charts, graphs and text to allow for a natural flow of information.
The following project materials are available for download:
Interactive Safety E-Book Final Report
Manitoba Aboriginal Health and Safety Initiative (MAHSI)
The primary goal of the Manitoba Aboriginal Health and Safety Initiative (MAHSI) is to provide culturally appropriate workplace health and safety training for Aboriginal workers to help prevent workplace-related injury and illness. The MAHSI will assist and support employers to provide a safe work environment for Aboriginal workers in Manitoba by developing an Online Learning Centre (OLC) dedicated to Aboriginal workplace health and safety. All educational resources will be developed and customized to be culturally appropriate, and will reflect Aboriginal practices, history and traditions.
Serious games to decrease injury in the fire service by training safer movement patterns and decision making skills: development and piloting
Firefighters have high injury rates. Musculoskeletal injuries due to lifting, twisting and bending, often in awkward positions while under mental and physical strain contribute greatly to these high rates with up to 1/3 of these injuries being low back injuries. Additionally, 1/3 of firefighter injuries are due to contact or exposure to fire with many being preventable by better decision making. Safe working limits while wearing fire protective clothing in hot/ humid environments exist, but it’s unclear whether the increased physiological strain associated with use of such clothing alters cognitive function at an incident scene and impairs decision making. This specific aims of this project developed and test two serious game modules focusing on these two areas of significant health risks to firefighters: i) safe lifting and ii) decision-making.
How do Expectations, Coping and Depression Impact on Recovery After a Musculoskeletal Injury
This study examined the inter-relationships among pain disability, fear avoidance, depression and expectations of recovery. The participants for this study were adults who had a recent musculoskeletal condition for which they were seeking physical therapy treatment. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire and were mailed follow-up questionnaires at six weeks, three months and six months later. The questionnaires surveyed attitudes to pain, depression, coping, fear avoidance, pain disability and expectations of recovery. The study found correlations across the psychological measures of depression, passive coping and fear avoidance. There were strong associations between pain disability and depression. The associations between fear avoidance and depression, coping and pain disability all became stronger over time, as did the associations between pain disability and pain intensity.
Technologies and Safety: Making Farms Safer
A report on using technology to make farms safer - along with a web-based farm safety app - is now available to the public.
The Centre for Education and Work (CEW) has developed a series of web-based applications on farm safety procedures accessible to mobile devices, tablets and laptops.
CEW will use this information to develop risk assessment tools that will help farmers understand, identify and manage hazards as well as to conduct job hazard analyses on their farms and worksites.
Clinical decision support tools for managing disabling muskuloskeletal disorders
This study aimed to identify and inventory Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools for helping stakeholders make treatment decisions for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.
Development of a Video Introducing the WCB
RFP awarded to the Centre for Education and Work
This project aimed to provide workers compensation information to newcomer and immigrant workers at a time when they are first entering the Manitoba workforce and in a way that is appropriate to their language abilities and respectful of their cultural backgrounds.
The Centre for Education and Work developed a video and facilitator guide to demonstrate what an individual should do if they were to get injured at work.